8.18.2009

Theme: "Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner" — The first word of each theme answer can follow the word baby in a familiar phrase.

Theme answers:

17A: *Nitpick (SPLIT HAIRS). Never heard the term "baby split" before, but now I've got some new jargon to use when getting killed by the PuzzleKids at Wii bowling (4D: Nintendo system involving physical exertion).

27A: *Take no action (SIT TIGHT). "Babysit." Now that's more like it. I know what that is. Wasn't ever very good at it, but that's a whole 'nother story.

60A: *B.B. King's genre (BLUES MUSIC). Ow, it hurts! Sorry, but this one doesn't work for me at all. B.B. King's genre is Blues. Period. Plus I think the phrase "baby blues" really minimizes the phenomenon it's trying to describe. Just like "morning sickness." Of course if they described it accurately, no one would ever get pregnant.

11D: *Group that might indict (GRAND JURY). I always thought that if I was ever going to get a fancy piano, I wouldn't waste my time on a "baby grand" but go right for the grand.

35D: *Hits the gas (STEPS ON IT). I was just telling someone recently how I'm not good at "baby steps." I'm pretty much an all-or-nothing gal. If I'm going to start exercising, I need to buy new shoes, join a gym, and sign up for some classes. I can't just go walk around the block.

55D: Word that can precede the starts of the answers to starred clues (BABY).

Crosswordese 101: Quite a few to choose from today. The only one that jumped out at me that we've already covered is AERIE (14A: High nest). But it looks like today I can bring up that spelling issue I talked about last week. At 25D: Russian rulers of yore we've got TSARS. Sometimes it's spelled CZARS, but in crossword puzzles it's almost five times likelier to be spelled TSARS, so that's my default. What you're looking for in a clue for TSAR/CZAR are names Ivan, Feodor, Nicholas, Peter, Alexander, Paul, Ivan, or Boris Godunov. And often early, old, bygone, or of yore. Also anything about the Winter Palace (which always makes me think of Narnia for some reason).

I feel like I said a lot about the theme and gave you some good information in CW101 and ya know what? Looking through the clues, absolutely nothing jumps out at me as worth expanding on. I liked the puzzle. Simple theme, executed very smoothly. Perfect Tuesday. But nothing else to talk about. If anything grabbed you, please bring it up in the comments. ...

Now it's, like, half an hour later and my search for the perfect PATTI LaBelle (50D: Singer LaBelle) video took me down a winding path that led me instead to Patti Austin, Brian McKnight, and Take 6 singing a Quincy Jones production of one of my favorite songs of all time, "Moody's Mood for Love." So, even though I planned to leave you with Ms. LaBelle, I'm going to take you out with something a little more mellow than "Lady Marmalade." Hope you like it.

35 comments:

split infinitive
said...

Baby split? I am not--insofar as I have been informed--a parent, but that is a horrifying term. I was thinking about Solomon and the Bible and, well, you remember the story. Turns out it's about the fine sport of bowling, a sport woefully neglected at the Olympics, unlike rhythmic gymnastics, which is a "sport" where smoking & drinking are prohibited. With the baby split, you end up with two non-adjacent pins, which you can take down with a well-targeted single strike of the bowling ball. Okay, sure, yes, if you SAYSO. Nice write up. You are the tzarina of the blogosphere!

Baby split. Maybe it's when you have Siamese twins. Maybe it's a small banana split. How about Solomon. A couple in a divorce? OK, or AOK, I just went on Google and it's a bowling thing, which of course I don't understand.

And today it's oohs. Something is oozing out of this puzzle. So many oft-repeateds that I'm not going to list them. But it means I'm getting better, since crosswordese has found a place in my skull.

"baby blue" is indeed a color. a sweet one. but "baby blues" is the colloquial term for postpartum depression, kind of a downer. still, not as much of a downer as BLUES MUSIC. if i were making this puzzle from scratch, i'd nix SPLIT HAIRS (since nobody seems to know what "baby split" means) and go with BLUES BROTHERS as a central 13. that would mean 5 theme answers instead of 6, but i'd rather have 5 rock-solid ones than 4 great and two iffy. but this is kind of presumptuous of me, as gail grabowski is a long-standing expert at early-week puzzles.

As a newbie, I have really enjoyed finding this blog and learning so much. I've been following this for several months now and finally feel compelled to camplain about a answer: baby split? Don't think so! I agree with Split Infinitive and the bad Solomom baby image it evokes. No trouble with BB King clue--"Baby Blues" is also a cartoon strip I read before working the puzzle.

So good to see a reference to the great jazz reeds and flute player James Moody, even in this round-about way. Wikipedia has a very interesting explanation of this song and it's history. Moody originally took the old standard "I'm in the Mood for Love" (common in jazz to take the chord changes of a known song and write a new melody), and wrote "Moody's Mood for Love". Type in "Moody's Mood" and check out his same-named album and hear him play it on the flute. Words were added later and it has been recorded by many singers. Disputed lyricists, a lawsuit, and many recordings later, the best version, in my thinking, is Moody's done in 1957 with NO lyrics. Really appreciated the opportunity to say something about jazz! Oh yes, fun puzzle.

When I see an asterisk, I think that the answer will be somehow skewed -- not just that it is a part of the theme. Were the asterisks necessary in this puzzle? If there is a theme, don't we just look at the long answers to determine what it is?

I'm a BABY BOOMER, and I've bowled before,but never heard or encountered the term BABY SPLIT before today. Glad I was not alone in it being unfamiliar !Didn't like the answer BLUES MUSIC, either, butlike where it CROSSed with BAR. Probably a dive bar where they would advertise "blues music!"

Special note to @chefwen and @mac: thank you VERY much for your kind wishes last night for our ailing dear family dog named after yesterday's Wile E. Coyote clue. It's with a heavy heart that I share that this marvelous almost ten-year old black standard poodle passed late last night/early this am. Earlier this summer we lost his "boy"-our 20 year old son. We have to believe they are reunited and chasing tennis balls together. Forced myself to work through this puzzle today for the distraction and absolutely enjoyed it in every respect--a great temporary spirit-booster

Otherwise: forced myself to work this puzzle and absolutely enjoyed it in every respevct-temporarily boosted my spirits! st-ten year old black standard poodle Wylee passed in his sleep early this a.m. A month ago we lost a 20 year old son-Wylee had been his dog; he'd been Wylee's "boy"-and we're trying to reconcile by believing the two have been re-united and are chasing tennis balls

@Charles Bogle - I'm sure many of us feel great sadness at the loss of your family members, one human and one canine. Perhaps none of us have ever met you, but through your posts I sense your interests and keen intelligence. With all sincerity, I wish you peace.

@Charles Bogle, your cwp blog family is heartbroken for both of your devastating losses! I have sons around your son's age and worry constantly about them! My heart goes out to you and your family. My favorite Shakespeare quote: When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night And pay no worship to the garish sun--Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Scene 2 :( I will imagine shooting stars to be a tennis ball being tossed by your son for Wylee......

Thanks all-I and my family are VERY touched. To @ddbmc, that Shakespeare quote was the finale of the eulogy I gave for Gregory to 400 people last Wednesday night; it is beautiful. @purpleguy and others, yes, the puzzles and the great good-spirited camaraderie of the cwp have been a wonderful distraction-and plain old fun (at least through Thursdays!) this past month. @shrub5, the "Rainbow Bridge" is terrific and I was fortunate to find it on the "web" early this am so I had it when we broke the news to our 9 year-old. @Alex, I look forward to checking out that James Moody poem. Forgive me if I share too much, but anyone who is a Facebook member is sincerely invited to visit the Gregory Scott Hillman in Remembrance and Memoriam page--feel free to leave a note. Gregory LOVED the English language; he loved creative writing, song-writing, playing with words. In his final hospitalization we would do the JUMBLE together every day and I'd ask him for help on crossword clues. He was also a math whiz and some days he'd be up to Suydooklu. Thanks all Sudoku--bey